STANDING WHEN HE APPEARS
(week 31/14)
OLUBI JOHNSON
In our article last week, we saw that we are in the time of the appearing of the Lord, which will be both great and terrible:
This appearing of the Lord will be both GREAT AND TERRIBLE: for it will bring BOTH blessing (like for the man at the beautiful gate (Act. 3.1-9) and punishment (like for Ananias and Sapphira (Act.5.1-11).
This week, we will see how to stand when He appears.
Joel 2:11 NKJV: The LORD gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is GREAT and very TERRIBLE; who can endure it?
Malachi 3:1-3 NKJV: “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts. (2) “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap. (3) He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.
These scriptures show that not all will stand when He appears: in fact many will fall.
Zechariah 13:8-9 NKJV: And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the LORD, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: (9) I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’ ”
Here the scriptures reveal that two-thirds of the church will fall: be cut off and die. This does not necessarily mean they will go to hell, but will die physically, prematurely and lose some of their eternal reward:
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 NKJV: For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (12) Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, (13) each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. (14) If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. (15) If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
1 Corinthians 5:5 NKJV: deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
God allows this, so that the remaining one-third will then be purified and refined and subsequently produce new Christians after their kind (Gen. 1.11-12) and so God will have a glorious church without spot, blemish, wrinkle or any such thing.
Ephesians 5:26-27 NKJV: that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, (27) that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
To stand when He appears, we must be watching and praying ALWAYS:
Luke 21:36 NKJV: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to STAND BEFORE THE SON OF MAN.”
